Small Beginnings
by AustinRayner
Summary: Telling another story, with new characters and challenges. Fanfic using mostly original characters and plotlines. Rated T for possible bad language later on.
1. Chapter 1

-Small Beginnings-

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of their characters.

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Chapter 1 – "Staying Unnoticed".

Sitting in the shade of a tree, the young Genin ninja relaxed after a hard training session. He knew that to improve his skills, rigorous training was necessary…but that didn't mean that he enjoyed it. Sighing inwardly, he closed his eyes as the cool breeze and peaceful surroundings started to make him drowsy.

"Hey! Ichiro!" the boy looked up into a smirking face of a young Kunouichi. "You just gonna lay there all day and starve yourself, or are you coming with me to get something to eat?" That's the problem with this girl, Ichiro thought to himself, She's always trying to involve him. He smirked at this thought, it wasn't that he hated her, he just preferred to be left alone. Raising an eyebrow, Ichiro murmured "…since when do you care so much Nanami?"

This resulted in the young girl frowning back down at him "Still want your precious alone time huh? Fine! See what I care!" Throwing her arms up in frustration, she started to walk off. Ichiro contemplated letting her walk off so he could enjoy some thinking time, but of course his conscience told him otherwise. Sighing to himself again, he got up from his comfortable spot and walked after Nanami. "Ok, I'm up…" Ichiro grumbled as he caught up with the girl.

Nanami looked at him with a grin on her face "I knew you would, guilt tripping you always works!" Ichiro shook his head as the Kunouichi giggled to herself "You're just way too predictable Ichiro". The boy put his hands in his pockets out of habit, deliberately avoiding making any conversation with the girl. The Kunouichi didn't seem to mind the silence as they walked, for her this was another small victory for her.

They had first been put together because of the squads of three that all ninja are assigned to upon becoming Genin rank. Nanami had never really noticed him, he had always been a totally isolated person, not caring for anyone else. By reaching out to him, she felt that it would strengthen their team and help them all. But it had been very slow progress. In the beginning he had barely acknowledged his other squad members existence and keeping to single-word answers as much as possible. Through a lot of hard work on her part to earn his trust and 2 months later, they were now at a point where they could almost have a normal conversation.

It wasn't long before the two ninjas had made their way back to the village and joined the bustling crowds within the streets. Taking in his surroundings, Ichiro turned towards the girl "So...where're we heading?" This sudden outburst of communication almost made the young Kunouichi fall over. After regaining her composure, she started thinking "Well, there's a small place nearby that sells small takeaway meals, or there's that ramen stand a few blocks over…" Ichiro looked around for a bit, taking in the familiar surroundings. Looking back at Nanami, he answered "Anywhere would be fine…" It was starting to set in how really hungry he was after his training session.

The girl smirked at Ichiro "Letting the lady choose? How very gentlemanly of you" At this comment, the male Genin simply grumbled a "Whatever", which elicited a loud laugh from Nanami. "Lighten up Ichiro. C'mon, I'm starving!" The young Kunouichi grabbed his arm and dragged the boy unceremoniously to Nanami's decided destination.

After ten minutes of Ichiro being pulled around, they arrived outside a small restaurant. Smiling broadly, Nanami motioned to the eating establishment "Here we are, lets get something to eat!". Maintaining her broad grin, she walked through the door still dragging Ichiro behind her. "This is gonna be a long evening…" the young ninja sighed to himself.

Three hours later, Ichiro sat completely bored in the restaurant. He had finished his meal ages ago, but the young girl had ordered several other meals and was still eating. How can a someone her size eat that much, its unnatural… Ichiro thought to himself, simply staring at Nanami. Looking up from what seemed like her forth course, she gave Ichiro a puzzled look "What? Is there something on my face?". Quickly avoiding the subject, Ichiro mumbled "I was just lost in thought…When do you think we'll be starting missions again? I mean it's been three months that our Sensei has been gone."

It had been a long time. Apparently, their squad leader, Toshiko Haruguchi had been called away on private business concerning her family to the land of waves. They hadn't been told anything else other than to keep training both individually and as a team until their Sensei returned.

Nanami simply shrugged her answer "She'll be back soon, don't be so concerned." Ichiro sighed as the young Kunouichi returned to her meal. It wasn't that he was worried about Toshiko-Sensei, he knew she could easily take care of herself. He was more concerned about the lack of field training they were receiving. Without missions, he was afraid they were falling further behind the other Genin students. Keeping that in mind he decided to double his training tomorrow, he refused to let his improvements slip because of the current situation. Seeing a familiar look of determination in Ichiro's eyes, Nanami smirked at him. "Decided to step up your game again?" Looking up at the young girl, Ichiro returned a small smile "You know it."

Finally finished with the meals, Nanami stood up from the table and started to walk out smiling to herself "Well it sounds like I'll have to do the same. See you tomorrow for group training!" It was at that point the thought suddenly dawned on Ichiro that Nanami had bailed, leaving him to pick up the bill. His next thought was what he would do when he saw her again.

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Short Chapter, I know…but this seemed like a good place to leave it. So far this is just a pilot to see how people react to the whole "Original Characters" thing. This chapter was to introduce the two main characters, the next chapter will introduce the rest of Ichiro's squad.

Chapter 2-"Rank D's" will be following soon! Please read and review.


	2. Chapter 2

-Small Beginnings-

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of their characters.

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Chapter 2 – "Rank D's"

At six in the morning, Ichiro walked into the training area that he and his team mates regularly. Just as he had said yesterday, he was going to put far more time and effort into his training.

"Its good to see you were serious about what you said." The cheerful voice said from behind him.

Without turning round he already knew that Nanami must have been following him for a while.

"So you've started stalking me as well? You really need a hobby."

His attempt to rile the girl up seemed to have failed, as she walked past him towards the clearing in the middle to the training area. Looking around, the Kunouichi gave Ichiro and questioning look,

"Wasn't Jouji supposed to meet us here?"

Ichiro smirked, Jouji was the third Genin member of the squad. On first impression, most people thought of Jouji as a very lazy young boy who put in no effort and just sailed through life without ever trying. After spending time with him, Ichiro had come to realize that this wasn't entirely true. However, what remained true about the rumors was Jouji's ability to easily loose track of time

"Its not like this hasn't happened before Nanami, I thought you would've gotten used to it by now."

Looking at the young ninja, Nanami grinned, "I suppose your right…wanna start training now?"

Ichiro nodded and took a fighting stance, "Time to make you pay for running out on me last night, leaving me to pay the bill."

The Kunouichi laughed and scratched the back of her head, "Yeah about that…I was kinda out of money. You're not still mad at me for that are you?"

Keeping a serious tone, Ichiro replied, "Considering how much you managed to eat, I have every right to be angry at you."

At this comment, Nanami appeared to almost burst into flames from sudden anger. "Hey! I've told you before I hate jokes about my weight! You've asked for it now!" she shouted, taking a similar fighting stance before charging at Ichiro.

The boy frowned at the Kunouichi's choice for a head on charge. Even with the anger she might be feeling, this was an obvious mistake, which was unusual for her. Was this perhaps a trap, just to lure him into attacking her? This brief thought lead to his action, altering his stance slightly to one that better suited defense from a head on attack. By calling her bluff, he hoped to shake her, leaving an opportunity for him to act.

Nanami kept charging towards Ichiro, kunai drawn and ready to strike. At the last moment, Ichiro realized it wasn't a bluff and had to dodge swiftly to the right. That was way too close for Ichiro's liking. Since the two ninja had started training, Nanami had learnt how Ichiro assessed situations and how to manipulate it to her advantage. It was starting to get really annoying.

"Still playing mind games with me, huh?" Ichiro grimaced as he recovered his stance.

The Kunouichi turned to face the boy with a grin on her face "Like I've said before, messing with you is too easy!"

A smirk crossed his face, it was about time he introduced the new technique he had been working on for the past few days. Moving his hands, he released clasps on either side of his grey jacket just below his shoulders. With the clasps released, two folded front panels on the jacket fell down revealing rows of kunai down their lengths. Attaching the clasps at the end of each panel to his belt, Ichiro readied himself…just like in practice, it's all down to momentum and speed. Taking a projectile out in both hands, he threw them one at a time underarm directly at Nanami. Once each kunai had been released, Ichiro used the momentum of the throw to move the arm back to take another from the jacket panel. This continued as Ichiro gained speed, the rate of fire swiftly increasing.

When Ichiro had launched multiple projectiles at Nanami, he stopped to see the results of the barrage. In place of where the Kunouichi had been standing was a log riddled with his thrown weapons. She had used the substitution jutsu to escape, but where was she now?

"You know, it's a shame that technique of yours can be dodged so easily…"

The voice came from behind Ichiro as he felt something sharp graze his neck. He had let his guard down, being so distracted with his attack he had left himself open.

Smirking behind him, Nanami kept the kunai at Ichiro's neck,

"Submit. You can't win." the girl smirked.

In one fluid motion, Ichiro grabbed the Kunuoichi's arm and performed a judo throw, flinging the girl over his shoulder.

Even though the boy's counter-defense had surprised her, Nanami managed to keep her footing. Turning to face Ichiro, she rushed him again, however this time she started dodging around him at an extremely fast speed. Ichiro couldn't track her movements, leaving him exposed and unable to defend himself. Nanami's speed seemed to further increase to the point where it was creating strong wind, throwing up clouds of dust and grit. Shielding his eyes, Ichiro knew he had to act soon to avoid being trapped in the middle of whatever the Kunouichi was planning. This was the young girl's favorite technique, using her superior dodging speed to confuse the enemy.

Nanami smirked to herself, now that she had successfully blocked any of Ichiro's ranged attacks the advantage was hers. All she had to do now was get in close for a finishing blow. At that moment, the Kunouichi stopped the, however, the momentum from her rapid movements kept the strong winds up. Just as the dust started to subside, Nanami propelled herself forward to attack her target in the center of the dust storm. But Ichiro wasn't there.

Startled and momentarily thrown off guard, Nanami quickly looked around, trying to make out where the boy could have gone. There was no way that Ichiro could have got through the dust storm wall without her seeing it, but it had happened.

A kunai tore through her right sleeve, just missing her arm, this brought with it a startling realization. The trap was now reversed. Until the dust settled enough, Nanami had no idea where the ninja was, or what direction he would be attacking from. All he had to do was throw enough projectiles into the dust cloud and he would eventually hit his mark. Gritting her teeth, Nanami knew her options were very limited. Anything she tried could result in being riddled with very sharp pieces of metal. As the Kunouichi waited, there was no noise from the outside. Was Ichiro trying to scare her out of hiding, or was he setting traps ready for when the dust cleared? Whatever was going on beyond the dense cloud, Nanami didn't have long to wait.

As the dust finally cleared, Nanami's jaw dropped in shock at what she saw. Ichiro was being crushed underneath another young ninja that appeared to be unconscious, a large lump forming on his head.

"For the last time Jouji, get the hell offa me!" Ichiro yelled, desperately trying to force the limp body off of him, but was unable to get enough leverage.

Recovering from her dumbstruck state, Nanami walked over to help Jouji and Ichiro up.

"Well, I guess that's the end of our training match…how did Jouji end up like this?" the Kunouichi mumbled.

After he was freed from Jouji's tangled limbs, Ichiro frowned in his direction and mumbled "He must've been running here to meet us for training, but he didn't look where he was going and ran head first into me."

Nanami sighed, shaking her head. Sometimes Jouji could be such a klutz…

Trudging down the worn path back towards the town, Ichiro supported the dazed form of Jouji with his shoulder. Using his free hand to rub the back of his head, Jouji grinned bashfully,

"Heh heh… Sorry for ruining your match guys, bad timing on my part."

Ichiro gave a half-hearted shrug, "…the fight was almost finished anyway."

"What do you mean by that?" Nanami yelled spinning round on the spot to face him, her eyebrow twitching in an annoyed manner.

Sighing inwardly, it was then that Ichiro thought it best to say something to calm the situation.

"I meant that if the fight had gone on any longer, it wouldn't have ended well for me…you've really improved lately."

This really caught the Kunouichi off guard. Usually these sorts of conversations turned into a big argument, which resulted in Nanami yelling and Ichiro acting like he couldn't care less. Did this mean that the boy was starting to warm up to her?

Nanami smiled faintly, the brief idea that Ichiro would one day be visibly happy almost made her laugh. Shaking off such ridiculous thoughts, the Kunouichi caught up with the two boys. Having fully recovered from his earlier accident, Jouji was walking unsupported, both hands behind his head and staring up at passing clouds.

"When is Sensei supposed to be back, we haven't been on a mission in ages…I'd even go on a mission to 'rescue' that stupid old ladies cat which runs away every chance it gets."

Both Nanami and Ichiro knew what the boy meant, although they had all at first been glad to have their own free time, it had been a long time since their last mission. Without their instructor there, the three young ninja had no choice but to continue training. Things were starting to get boring. VERY boring.

"Think there's a chance that any other instructors could take us on a mission? You know…until Toshiko-Sensei gets back."

Ichiro shook his head, "You know the rules, only the instructor appointed to lead a team can sign them up for missions. If we wanted to go on missions we would need to be re-assigned to a new instructor."

Jouji sighed, but continued to look upward, "Yeah, I guess your right…"

By this time, the three Genin had just walked into the outskirts of the town. Even here, in one of the poorer district of the town, the streets were alive with people going about their daily lives. As the trio walked along, Nanami noticed a swift shadow move from one rooftop to another, following them as they made their way down the street. Looking back at the two boys, it was obvious neither of them had spotted the shadow. Jouji was still staring upward at the clouds and Ichiro seemed preoccupied with whatever he was thinking about.

Looking back at the rooftops, there was nothing there. Had she just been seeing things? Shrugging to herself she started following her friends again. Maybe it had been a trick of the light… She wouldn't let paranoia make her start jumping at figments of her imagination. She just needed to rela—

A small object flew past her, aimed straight at Jouji's head. Before the stone made contact, Ichiro's hand snapped out and caught it. Jouji blinked, turning his head to look at Ichiro's outstretched arm.

Ichiro mumbled, "Jouji, you really need to be more aware of things, that stone could have easily knocked you out… I really don't feel like carrying your unconscious body twice in one day."

Jouji just turned to Ichiro and grinned, "Yeah, but I know you'll always watch my back!"

All Ichiro could do in response to this was sigh inwardly. It's was ok for Jouji to say that when Ichiro was around, but he shouldn't rely on him to cover up for his mistakes. One day it may end up getting one or both of them killed.

"Hmph, seems the 'Rank Ds' have some skill after all"

The new voice caused the three Genin to turn around. A young ninja with short blonde hair tied up with his headband stood behind them, his arms crossed and a smug grin on his face. This was Rin, self proclaimed best of the current Genin ninja. His ego is second only to his family's financial inheritance.

Ichiro shook his head, "Rin…what do you want? Are you just here to stir up trouble, or is there a reason to this unwelcome intrusion?'

Rin motioned to someone currently out of sight, seconds later two other ninja appeared either side of him, a silver-haired female ninja who always seemed to wear a blank expression and a slightly taller male ninja who wore a dark colored jacket and sunglasses. These two ninjas: Esumi and Takuma, along with Rin made up team 3.

Chuckling to himself, Rin stepped forward, closing the gap between the two groups of rookie ninja in an almost confrontational manner. The boy reached into his pouch pocket, which caused Ichiro to frown slightly.

"Kazumi-Sensei asked us to pass this on to you losers."

At which point Rin took out a small scroll for his pocket pouch, handing it to Ichiro.

Nanami and Jouji looked over Ichiro's shoulders at the scroll in his hands, the outside looked very plain save a simple wax seal holding the scroll shut.

Ichiro looked back up at Rin, "This is from your Sensei? What's it about? "

Rin had started to walk away at this point, he simply looked over his shoulder and shrugged, "Can't be that important if it concerns you three… C'ya around."

With another quick signal from Rin, the rest of squad 3 followed behind him as he walked away from the three Genin. Nanami shook her head as she watched Rin and his team disappear into the crowded streets.

"That Rin is such a jerk!" Nanami grumbled, turning to face Ichiro and Jouji, "Why don't you two stand up to him, the way he talks about our team!"

Ichiro had still been staring at the scroll at this time, looked up at Nanami. "If it bothers you so much, why don't you say anything to him?"

The Kunouichi had already thought of an answer to this and stated, "Because that would be very lady-like of me now, would it." At which point she put her hands on her hips, a sign Ichiro was all too familiar with as the girl daring him to argue back.

Ichiro sighed inwardly and decided not to follow up, essentially letting her win.

"Fine, but that's not important now. I'm more concerned about this scroll…"

Nanami broad grin at winning another argument against the boy was wiped from her face and replaced by a look of seriousness. Jouji also seemed to be looking down at the scroll with a concerned expression.

"Do you think we should open it? There could be some important information about Toshiko-Sensei."

Ichiro nodded slightly to Jouji. Tearing the wax seal, Ichiro opened the scroll. Nanami looked from the opened scroll to Ichiro, "What does it say?"

"….." Ichiro started to read the scroll's contents out loud.

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To the members of squad 5,

Due to the current circumstances involving your instructor, Toshiko Haruguchi, it has not been possible for any of you to partake in missions. This obviously has put a halt on your mission training in the field. We have scheduled a meeting to resolve the situation.

Please be present outside the Hokage tower at noon.

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Scratching his chin, Jouji thought out loud about the letters contents, "Resolve the situation? Does this mean they're going to help us or not?"

Looking up at the boy, Nanami shrugged her shoulders slightly. Turning to talk at Ichiro, the Kunouichi stopped when she noticed that he was staring at the scroll with a frown.

"Ichiro, what's wrong?", a concerned tone in her voice as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

The young boy continued to frown at the scroll, but grumbled something that Nanami could barely hear, "…I don't like the sound of this, something doesn't feel right."

He was thinking too hard again. It was right for him to be concerned, but from her point of view Ichiro was obviously stressing out on the inside. Giving him a nudge in the ribs, Nanami tried to cheer him up, "C'mon Ichiro, I'm sure it can't be that bad…we might finally get some missions after this! Lighten up!"

Finally looking up from the scroll, the young Kunouichi's attempt to help him hadn't really raised his spirits. How could Nanami be so calm about all this? Ichiro wondered whether it was confidence or stupidity that was keeping the girl from worrying as much as he was. But in a way, Ichiro was glad that Nanami didn't seem worried…it somehow helped him realize that thinking about what might happen wouldn't get them anywhere. All they could do is wait till tomorrow for the meeting.

Nodding to the other two ninja, Ichiro started to walk away in the direction of his house. He was stopped after a few steps by someone grabbing his arm, it was pretty obvious to him that it was Nanami.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Sighing to himself, he didn't make an effort to respond. To be honest all he wanted to do right now was go home.

"…I've got things that I need to do.", Ichiro mumbled as he pulled out of the Kunouichi's grasp.

Nanami tilted her head in confusion as Ichiro walking away, "Jeez, what's his problem? He never wants to talk things out…"

"That's just how he is, give him time and he'll be ok." Jouji stood next to the girl, watching Ichiro as he walked out of sight.

This got a smirk from the Kunouichi, "Yeah, I guess your right…he has his own way of dealing with things, and we have ours."

Jouji had put his hands back behind his head and returned to looking up at passing clouds, "Hey, I'm heading over to a place nearby go grab something to eat, wanna join me?"

Suddenly noticing how hungry she had been since her training exercise with Ichiro earlier, she nodded and followed the boy.

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Yeah, I'm not particularly happy with the sparring scene in this chapter or how I decided to end it. There may end up being a rewrite of this at some point, depending on feedback or if the guilt gets to me.

Up next, Chapter 3-"Unwanted Memories". Please read and review.


	3. Chapter 3

-Small Beginnings-

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of their characters.

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Chapter 3 – "Unwanted Memories"

Unlocking the door, Ichiro stepped into the dimly lit house. Letting the door close shut behind him, he reached for the light switch and toggled it on. A quiet buzz accompanied by sudden illumination of the room left the boy squinting as he moved toward the stairs. A lone chair in the living room, which was usually occupied by a man that Ichiro had come to hate, was unusually empty.

Good, Ichiro thought to himself. I cannot deal with that man right now. Climbing the stairs, Ichiro could finally feel the weariness that he had been fighting off bear down on him. Finally able to relax, Ichiro collapsed onto his bed. It wasn't long before he had fallen asleep.

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Ichiro was sitting on a bench that overlooked the town, enjoying the peace and quiet. It was just then that he was aware of someone approaching behind him.

"Why do you hide from the people around you Ichiro?", a lily white hand rested upon his shoulder, "You cant keep yourself closed up from everyone, keeping your feelings inside isn't good for you…"

Ichiro looked up at the speaker, gently holding her hand, "You've always been the only person I can show my true feelings."

"But what about when I'm gone, who will help you then?"

"Why would you leave?", Ichiro looked up at the girl with a questioning face.

The girl laughed lightly, "Nowhere, but I don't want to make you too reliant on me."

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Ichiro awoke slowly, blinking a couple of times to allow his eyes to focus.

"Orika…", it had been years since she had disappeared, yet Ichiro still had these dreams.

Getting up, he shook his head trying to fully wake himself up. Getting up from his bed, he started walking downstairs to get something to eat. Walking past the living room to get to the kitchen, he noticed a figure sprawled out in his usual chair, snoring loudly.

Frowning at the man briefly, Ichiro continued into the kitchen to grab some breakfast. About halfway through eating he was interrupted by a knock at the front door, which he went to answer. He had a good idea about who it would be, so it no surprise when he opened the door and found a very angry looking Nanami.

"What was so important that you had to take off like that?" The girl continued to scowl at him.

"…Why do you care?" Ichiro didn't understand why the Kunouichi couldn't just let him be, she was always trying to get him to open up.

The boy sighed, "Look, I just had a lot of things on my mind-"

"And you couldn't talk to us?" Nanami crossed her arms, "Why do you hide from us Ichiro?"

Those words caused Ichiro to freeze. Orika had been right, with her gone he had no one he could talk to truthfully. He was cut off from the world. But if he tried to reach out to someone else, would they abandon him too? He didn't want to feel that pain again. He was better off alone with his feelings, relying on nobody.

Looking back at Nanami, Ichiro grumbled, "That's my choice…I don't talk about myself"

Shaking her head, the girl smirked at him, "Guess Jouji was right. But it wouldn't hurt for you to open up to people, y'know?"

Pretending to ignore the last comment, Ichiro replied, "Is there something else you wanted?"

Nanami nodded, "Jouji is going to meet us at the Hokage tower, till then I thought you'd want to hang out."

Ichiro sighed. Nanami's offers to 'hang out' were just another one of her ways to try and make him open up to her and smother him in her annoying happy-go-lucky attitude,"…fine, where are we going?". He had learnt by now that trying to argue with the girl would only lead to headaches later.

The Kunouichi grabbed Ichiro's arm, pulling him out of the house and causing the door to slam behind them. Being pulled behind the girl like a rag doll, the two ninja made their way from Ichiro's house to only god-knows where. Several times whilst Nanami was leading him through busy streets, Ichiro tried to find out where they were heading, but the only response he got was "You'll see".

The girl finally stopped tugging on his arm as they reached the top of the Hokage monument, overlooking the whole of the hidden leaf village. The faint breeze caught the girl's hair as she looked down on the village, "I never get tired of this view, no matter how many times I come up here."

Looking round, Nanami spotted a stone bench, "Remember that bench? This is where we all first met Toshiko-Sensei."

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"Why don't you all tell me a bit about yourselves…" Toshiko was sat on the stone bench, looking at the three young ninja sat in front of her, "…anything you want to say about yourselves, your ambitions, hopes or fears..."

Inspecting the her students, she nodded to Jouji, "Why don't you go first?"

"Huh? Uh, ok…", Jouji blinked and scratched the back of his head, "My name's Jouji Ishiguro, between training I like enjoying my time taking naps and watching clouds…I don't really have a plan for the future, I kinda prefer to drift along."

Toshiko raised her eyebrow slightly. She knew some people were free-spirited, but this boy sounded plain lazy in his whole approach to life. "Ok, thankyou Jouji…"

Jouji grinned at the words of praise from his new instructor. Toshiko then looked to Jouji's right, eyes resting on Nanami, "Next up we have…?"

Nanami was ready and caught the end of the instructor's sentence, "My name is Nanami Miyagi. I enjoy being with the people I care about and trying to make the world a happier place. My wish for the future is to become an ANBU black-ops member!"

Tishiko nodded, "Ok, and finally…"

Everyone looked at Ichiro, waiting for him to say something. Sighing inwardly, the boy cleared his throat, "My name is Ichiro Tanaka."

There was a long silence, the others continued to look at him. After a minute Nanami raised an eyebrow, "Wait…you mean that's it? You're not going to say anything!?"

Seeing that an argument was about to break out, Toshiko decided to step in, "It's ok Nanami, Ichiro doesn't have to tell us anything about himself if he isn't comfortable doing so."

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Nanami sighed, Ichiro hadn't really changed at all since then. He was still content to be alone and have no one to talk to. Maybe she would never be able to get through to him.

Ichiro was confused, by now Nanami would be bugging him to say something about himself. But she was just standing there, looking at the view.

"Uh…Nanami? Are you ok?"

Nanami turned to face Ichiro and smiled weakly, "Yeah…listen, I've got some things that I need to take care of. I'll see you later.", at which Kunouichi left the slightly confused looking boy and started to make her way back down the monument.

Trying to change Ichiro was never going to work, all those times she had tried to make him angry or upset just to get a response from him had all been for nothing. Kicking a stone out of her way in frustration, she grumbled, "Stupid Ichiro…"

"Having boy trouble are we?"

Sat on a rock a few feet further down the path was a girl roughly the same age as Nanami, a broad smile on her face. "You know, you should just tell him how you feel and get it off your chest."

Frowning at the girl, Nanami replied, "You know that I don't like Ichiro that way!"

Rolling her eyes, the blond-haired girl got up from her stone perch. "If you say so…"

Nanami pointed a finger right in the girl's face, "Listen Terumi, I'm just friends with Ichiro, nothing more."

Terumi raised her hands in surrender, "Alright! Alright!" At which point Nanami lowered the finger, causing the blond to let out a sigh of relief. Disaster averted.

The girls continued to walk in silence, neither of them really knowing what to say to the other. It wasn't long before the two were at the base of the Hokage monument. Terumi grinned, "So…what are you gonna do now?"

Nanami looked up at the sky, lost in thought for a moment. "Well, I've got a few hours before I have to go to the Hokage tower-"

"Well, that settles it! We haven't had a lot of time to chat recently, so we're gonna go somewhere I know where we can talk about things", the blond Kunouichi cut in, wrapping her arm around Nanami's.

It wasn't long before both Terumi and Nanami were walking through the town, "Okay! It's just this way!", the blond grinned.

Nanami recognized the area quickly, "…You brought me to the park?". The park hadn't changed at all since she had played here as a little kid. The framework of the swings was slightly rusted and had taken a lot of wear and tear over time. Terumi sat leaned against the frame, looking around dreamily.

"I have really fond memories of this place… Do you remember those times, Nanami? Everything was so much simpler back then. No responsibilities. Nobody relying on us…Sometimes I wish we could go back to that time." Blinking, Terumi gazed over at Nanami.

By this time the red haired Kunouichi had sat down on one of the swings, "Do you remember the time we first met here? It was seven years ago, my parents were having marital trouble and I was kind of down about it. I came here to get away from the house, to clear my head and try to cheer myself up. My mom and dad were too caught up in their own problems to notice how it was affecting me. I sat on this swing all day, even when it started to rain."

The girl sighed and continued, "I must have fallen asleep at some point, because the next thing I see is someone with a broad smile kneeling in front of me. I'll never forget the first thing you said to me; 'You ok?'."

Nanami knew that by having someone like Terumi to talk her problems out with, she had avoided being isolated from the rest of the world. Ichiro had not been so lucky, something in the boy's past had happened leaving him bitter and cold to everyone around him.

"So…you and Ichiro are friends, what do you talk about?"

Nanami gave a small smile, "It's mostly me that does the talking…Ever since we were put on the same squad, he always seemed so cut off from the rest of us. I've just been trying to get to know him better. But it hasn't been easy, he just brushes me off, saying 'It's none of your business'. I don't know why I'm trying so hard to get to know him. Maybe it's because I'm the kind of person who can't leave someone isolated like that, or maybe I see him as a challenge…I don't know."

Terumi mumbled, "He sounds like an idiot."

Shaking her head, Nanami continued, "But I've come to realize that he doesn't feel comfortable sharing his inner feelings and emotions with anyone, if he feels better off being alone…then I have no right to try and make him do otherwise."

The blond Kunouichi chuckled, "For someone who's 'Just friends' with this guy, you sure do talk about him a lot…" Her laughter was cut short by the look on Nanami's face.

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Phew, took me a bit longer to write this chapter. I feel that I went a bit out of character for Nanami there, less happy-go lucky than the first two chapters. I'll try to correct that for the future.

Coming soon: Chapter 4-"Chance of Separation". Please read and review.


	4. Chapter 4

-Small Beginnings-

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of their characters.

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Chapter 4 – "Chance of Separation"

It was just before noon outside the Hokage tower. Ichiro sat on the steps leading to the mains, staring blankly at his feet. A shadow was cast in front of him, drawing his attention upwards to the smiling face of Nanami.

"Early as usual, huh Ichiro…", the Kunouichi sat down next to him.

Returning his gaze to his feet, Ichiro was not really interested in starting up another conversation with the girl. He knew that if he did that, it wouldn't take long for her to start prying into his business… that would then lead to an argument, and he really wasn't in the mood for dealing with an angry Nanami at the moment.

The two sat in silence, Ichiro staring intently at his footwear and Nanami looking around nervously, unsure what to say to fill the enlarging awkward moment. It came as a surprise when Ichiro looked up and mumbled, "You seemed a bit upset when you walked off earlier…"

Before Ichiro could finish the sentence, Nanami started laughing. The boy tilted his head in confusion, "Uh…Nanami?"

As the red haired Kunouichi's laughter died down, she replied, "…don't worry, it's nothing. I've realized now that you obviously don't need to share your feelings with anyone." Nanami at Ichiro, "You have your own way with dealing with things."

Ichiro sat in silence for a moment. Since three years ago, Ichiro hadn't had anyone to really talk to. He had been all alone since then. The one person he had relied upon had gone, abandoned him. The feeling of loosing that person had driven him from ever wanting to be close to anyone again. For him it had been better to be alone than feel the pain of loosing someone he was that close to again.

"…Three years ago… I lost someone I was very close to."

Looking at the boy, Nanami put her hand on his shoulder, "Who was it Ichiro? C'mon, you can tell me."

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"What's the matter Ichiro? C'mon, you can tell me."

The warm smile of the lily-skinned girl calmed the five-year-old Ichiro down enough for him to speak between his sobs, "Th-sniff-the bigger bu-sniff-boys at the pway-hic-gwound wus -sniff- pickin' on me…"

Orika produced a handkerchief, which she used to wipe away the small boys tears. "Why would they do that?"

The boy continued to look up into the pale blue eyes of the older girl, "I dunno, they juz' chose to…"

Orika continued to look down at the poor boy, her face expressing pity for the small child before her. Her long pale arms moved around the boy and embraced him in a comforting cuddle. The young Ichiro's expression quickly changed, as he felt the relaxing warmth of the girl's support.

A smirk crossed Orika's face, "I've just thought of the perfect solution to your problem Ichiro", whispering softly in the young boy's ear, a large grin started to form on his face.

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"…Ichiro?"

Shaking his head, Ichiro blinked a few times before looking at Nanami. Her hand was still on his shoulder, a look of concern clear on her face, "Who was it?"

Before he could answer, the doors of the Hokage tower opened and a single figure walked out. The man wore a Jonin combat vest and jumpsuit, with his ninja headband tied tightly around his upper arm. Looking at the two ninja sitting on the steps, the man cleared his throat.

"Would the members of squad 5 please follow me…"

The ninja turned around and started making his way back inside the tower, fading into the shadows of it's interior.

Getting up from the steps, Ichiro sighed and shook his head, "It's just like Jouji to be late, even for something this important…"

Just as the boy finished his sentence, the two Genin heard fast footsteps coming their way.

"Hey guys! Wait up!"

A slightly out of breath Jouji came running from the other end of the street, stopping just at the foot of the steps. Doubling over, the young boy tried to catch his breath. Between his wheezing, he managed to express his relief, "Jeez…that was close…"

Nanami looked down at Jouji, hands on her hips and a stern look on her face, "Close?! We almost had to attend the meeting without you! Imagine how bad that would make our team look!"

Ichiro smirked as the young Kunouichi continued to yell at Jouji, "…we just knew you were going to be late, even if it is a meeting with the Hokage. Seriously, you're inability to keep track of time is so predictable, it's actually something we could rely on!"

"Aw, c'mon! Am I really that predictable?"

Ichiro and Nanami just looked at each other for a moment, before they started walking towards the entrance of the tower. Jouji sighed, slowly following after the other two Genin. Ichiro looked back to the boy and motioned for him to hurry up, "C'mon Jouji, or they'll start without us"

As the three Genin entered the tower, the doors groaned behind them as they closed to. The Jonin ninja from before continued to walk in front of them, "Right this way please." It wasn't long before the group arrived in front of the Hokage's office. The large doors were opened before them by the ninja guards on either side. Inside was a large curved table, at which 4 people in robes sat.

"Lord Hokage, the Genin squad 5 is here for the meeting.", the Jonin bowed.

The figure in the center looked up from some papers and nodded, "Hmm? Oh, thank you Daiki, you are dismissed…"

The Jonin bowed again and left the room, with the heavy doors closing behind him. The three young ninja stood in front of the curved table in silence, as the Hokage shuffled through the pile of papers and scrolls in front him, obviously looking for something. As they continued to wait, Ichiro looked at the other robed figures either side of the Hokage. The two on the right were both men, the one on the far end was easily the youngest sitting there, with a multitude of scars on his face. The other man was very old in comparison, but still retained the healthy glow that you would see in people half his age. To the left sat a middle-aged woman, her raven black hair moved slightly as she looked over at the Hokage.

Finally, Ichiro's attention was returned to the Hokage, who had found the scroll he had been looking for and cleared his throat, "We received this scroll from the Land of Waves a few days ago, it seems only right that you three should read it.".

Passing the small scroll to Nanami, the girl opened the scroll out so all three Genin could read it.

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To the Hokage council.

Please pass this message onto the members of squad 5.

I have been stopped from returning to the hidden village due to a recent family emergency. My father had become very ill, so much so that he was bedridden and suffering from a terrible fever.

My initial reason of my departure was to try and help my family cope and look after my father. Unfortunately, by the time I reached them, my father had died in his sleep. He had been the main source of income for the rest of the family.

I have decided to help them move to the hidden village, with them living close by I can make sure they have someone to provide and look after them. Helping them pack and travel to the hidden village will take several months.

Since I have already been away for several months, I do not wish the genin of my squad to fall any further behind the other squads. Therefore, I am handing all decision-making privileges over to the Hokage and the other council members. My only wish is that however the council decides to remedy the situation, the squad members are able to progress with their training and continue taking part in missions until I return to the village.

-Toshiko Haruguchi-

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"As you can see, we have been left in the situation where we are not exactly sure when your squad instructor will be back in the Hidden Leaf Village. To solve the current situation, we have decided to assign you each to separate squads that are in need of new members."

Nanami looked at the council members, eyes wide in disbelief, "You're splitting up our squad?!"

Even Ichiro was shocked by the sudden news. It's not as if he was close to the other members of the squad, but they had learnt to work as a team. Separating them now would mean destroying all of that. Although he didn't show it, Ichiro didn't want their squad to be split up any less than Nanami.

The Hokage sighed loudly as his shoulders visibly sagged, "Believe me, it was not our wish to do this, but we have no other alternative open to us at this time…"

Shuffling through the pile of documents again, the Hokage set aside three pieces of paper, fanning them out to face the three ninja, "These are consent forms for your squad reassignments. Sign and bring them with you tomorrow, where you will be introduced to your new squads."

After collecting the forms, the three Genin were escorted from the Hokage tower. None of them said anything, their own thoughts of the current events causing them to hold their tongues. Silently the trio walked through the bustling streets until they found themselves outside one of the villages many ramen noodle stalls.

Finding available chairs at the counter, the three ninja sat. Looking up from the form he still had clutched in his hand, Ichiro observed his other two squad members. Jouji was sat furthest away from him, and appeared to be frowning at the counter in front of him. It was obvious that their situation was troubling him. Nanami looked even worse. Her face was very pale, and her eyes stared blankly at her hands that nervously fidgeted in her lap.

Ichiro knew he had to do something, but what could be done? The decision had been made for them. There was no other choice. Distracted by a faint noise behind him, he noticed another customer had just struck a match, which he was holding up to a ragged cigarette hanging limply from his mouth.

A small smirk crossed the boy's face as he thought of an idea.

As the customer raised his hand to light the cigarette, he suddenly noticed that the lit match he had been holding had now vanished. Behind him Ichiro had already sat down in his seat again holding the lit match. "Hey, guys…"

Nanami and Jouji looked up as Ichiro spoke. The two looked quizzically at him as he held the match, Ichiro held his copy of the form above the match, letting the flame lick the corner of the paper before it caught fire. This instantly caught Nanami's attention, as she yelled "What are you doing?!"

The Kunouichi went to make a grab for the burning form, but Ichiro made a gesture for her to stop. Ichiro looked from the piece of paper to the other two Genin, "I don't know about you two, but I don't think splitting up our squad is the right thing to do…"

His words trailed off as he noticed the strange looks he was getting from both Jouji and Nanami. Ichiro turned back to face the counter, putting out the remains of the piece of paper out in a nearby ashtray. Jouji took out the form from his pocket, slightly crumpled at the edges. Staring at it for a few moments, the boy quickly tore the paper into several small pieces and let them fall to the floor.

Nanami was hesitant to follow the two boys lead. What if they all refused to follow the orders of the council and ended up being thrown out of the Hidden Village…or worse? She went back to looking at her hands.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to find Ichiro looking straight at her, "We'll find a way around this, there has to be another way."

The young Kunouichi nodded as a smile crossed her lips. With that Jouji jumped up from his seat, "How about we celebrate our rebellion? The first ten bowls of ramen are on me!"

The offer of free food instantly caught Nanami's ears, "You're on Jouji!". With that, the girl picked up the menu whilst trying to attract the attention of the chef. The fact that his offer had been taken up caused Jouji to sweatdrop. Leaning over to Ichiro, he whispered in his ear, "Uhh…Ichiro? Can I borrow some-"

Ichiro already knew where this conversation was going. Sighing, he cut in before Jouji could finish his sentence, "Fine. I'll pay for whatever the girl eats." Looking around as Nanami's order was put on the counter in front of her, Ichiro knew that he would soon regret it.

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In his dimly lit office, the Hokage was signing the final few pieces of paperwork before finishing for the night. Due to it's monotonous nature, he was barely paying attention. Running his hands through his scruffy hair, he stretched his arms out above his head in an attempt to get rid of the aching in his joints. Suddenly his eyes caught a particular scroll on top of another pile of documents, set aside for tomorrow. Breaking the seal, the Hokage quickly opened the scroll and quietly read the contents to himself. As the Hokage finished reading he leaned back into his chair, his brow creased in thought.

"That's very interesting…"

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Argh, I got really stuck halfway through this chapter. I'm not sure if it's ok.

Chapter 5 is currently under construction. Please read and review.


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